Courtesy call
by EvanlynDurin00
Summary: "It was said that midnight was the darkest time of the day. As he stood in the room, with a small beam of moonlight as the only light source, he realised that it was true. Not only was darkness at its' peak, it also gave cover to the deeds that were not tolerated by the light of day."
1. A courtesy call

**A/N Hello everyone! Let me first say, I have no idea whether this story is any good or not. It popped into my head sometime ago and then refused to leave. So thank you, for giving it a chance. To those who have read Brotherhood Modern AU, I have not finished that story yet, so there will be another chapter soon, don't worry! To people who come from the Supernatural fandom, some familair characters will make an appearance, although they will not be the main focus. Okay, I'm gonna try to keep the talking to a minimum, because I'm pretty sure that's not why you have come to this story. I will only say one more thing. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Vampires. Awful, bloodsucking creatures, who didn't have an ounce of good in them. There might be a few who claimed that they only drank animal blood, but Athos still hated them. The annoying thing about hunting vampires was that they were seldom alone. There was always a nest. Which was why it was a good thing that he didn't hunt on his own.

'Athos, behind you!' Aramis shouted.

The older man quickly turned around and beheaded the vampire attacking him. Another annoying thing about vampires. Killing them was a gory and messy job. Not to mention it had Aramis whining about ruined clothes for weeks.

Porthos joined them, grinning. Blood was dripping from his machete.

'I think that was the last of those bastards.'

Athos nodded.

'Let's hit the road then. I could do with a shower and some food.'

The drive to civilization was quiet. Aramis had fallen asleep in the backseat and was snoring softly. Porthos was humming along with the song that was playing on the radio as he drove. Athos watched as the trees slowly gave way to a small town. It was rather non-descriptive but it had the necessities, like a motel, a diner and a supermarket. And tonight, that was all Athos would ask for.

The motel gave them one room, with two single beds and a couch. Aramis took one look at the old, dirty couch and jumped onto a bed.

'Not it!' he shouted.

Porthos was quick to follow his example and Athos rolled his eyes.

'You are both children. I am going to take a shower.'

Truth be told, Athos didn't mind that much. It was more the childish behaviour of his friends than having to sleep on the couch. He had slept in worse places. As he stood in the shower, he could hear Porthos and Aramis squabbling over something. Somehow, it comforted him. As long as his friends were loud, it meant they were happy and safe.

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It was said that midnight was the darkest time of the day. As he stood in the room, with a small beam of moonlight as the only light source, he realised that it was true. Not only was darkness at its' peak, it also gave cover to the deeds that were not tolerated by the light of day.

The gun glistened in the moonlight. It laid heavy in his hand, as it had never done before. He had killed before, oh how he had. But this was different. His target was human. Never before had he killed a human. This was the first time that he did not kill to protect the innocents. It was his first time killing for revenge.

His finger tightened on the trigger. A dangerous battle was fought out in his mind. The small part of innocence and light that was left in him was screaming at him that this was wrong. Revenge was not a reason to kill someone, it never was. He was not supposed to kill humans, only monsters. He was a hunter, not a murderer.

Darkness quickly put that traitorous part of him to silence. His target had taken everything from him, he deserved this. This was not revenge, this was justice. His target was not human. His target had killed an innocent and unarmed man, he deserved to be killed in the same way. This was not murder, this was simply another hunt.

'Do it,' came a voice. 'Shoot me.'

In his mental battle, he had not realised his target had awoken. Not that it mattered. All the better if the man was awake. He would make sure that his target felt the pain and fear of dying. He waited for his target to face him, which the man slowly did. Steel blue eyes met his own, silently telling him to pull the trigger.

Just when he was about to obey, the door behind him burst open. Two more men spilled inside, turning on the lights as they did so. The moment they noticed him they pulled out their guns. The shorter one of them smiled at him, even though it was clearly faked.

'Alright, put the gun down nice and slow. There's no need for this to get messy.'

He scoffed. He would not be swayed, he was on a mission. He would not give up before justice was received.

'Funny. That's what I was going to say to you.'

He had turned around to face the other two men and when he heard a gun being cocked behind him, he knew he had made a mistake. Never turn your back on the enemy.

'I'd listen to my friend if I were you. We only have so much patience for common criminals, especially arrogant ones. Don't make us take you down.'

He smiled grimly at his target.

'I'd like to see you try.'

Before anyone could stop him, he darted past the two friends of his target and out of the room. He flew towards the stairs, thundering footsteps behind him telling that him that he was being pursued. He knew that there were stairs on either side of the landing in front of the motel rooms and wasn't surprised to see the tall guy appear on the other end of the platform. They were trying to corner him.

Which they managed to do at the top floor. He was pressed up against the wall, the three men in front of him.

'You didn't think this through, did you?' The big guy asked.

He really hadn't. Or rather, he hadn't expected his target's company to show up earlier than expected. It was supposed to be a quick hit. Go in, kill the target and get the hell out. It seemed the that the roles had been reversed now. Well, if he was going to die, then it would be on his own terms.

He grinned at the big guy.

'Nope.'

And then, with all his strength, he shoved the big man out of his way and ran towards the railing. Before anyone could stop him, he dove off the platform.

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Aramis watched in horror as the young man jumped over the railing. But instead of the sickening crunch he expected, the sounds of a crash made their way up to him.

Athos was the first to reach the railing and couldn't believe his eyes. His would be assassin had been lucky enough to land on a car instead of the ground. The young man was already rolling to his feet and running off the parking lot.

'Are we going after him?' Porthos asked.

'For what? He didn't take anything and he's already injured.'

Porthos frowned at Aramis.

'He tried to kill Athos!'

'Yes, but we stopped him. I don't think he'll try again anytime soon. You saw his reaction when we came in, he wasn't expecting Athos to have company.'

Porthos and Aramis continued their discussion all the way back to their room. Athos only heard half of it, being lost in thought. He had called the young man a common criminal, but he was pretty sure his would be assassin was far from that. Something in the body language had told him that the young man was experienced in killing and fighting to survive. In fact, the young man had come across as a hunter. He would have to talk to Treville about it.


	2. It's not a question about trust

**A/N Hey everyone! Well, this story is officialy not on hiatus anymore. I was suffering for a writer's block for the longest time, but then all of a sudden, my muse for this fic returned. So here we are. I hope you enjoy!**

'What do you think that guy from last night was after?'

'Aside from murdering Athos?'

Athos sighed as he listened to Porthos and Aramis pick up their discussion from the night before. Not that he hadn't been thinking about the mysterious assassin. He was certain that it hadn't been a robbery, for the simple fact that the young man hadn't taken anything. No, he was there specifically for Athos.

Perhaps Treville could provide him with some answers. After all, the man knew almost every hunter in France. So if his would be assassin was indeed a hunter, Treville would know him.

Athos looked up when he noticed the car stopping. They had, apparently, reached their destination. He could see Treville standing in the door opening, waiting for them.

After going through the usual procedures (silver knife, holy water, crossing the devils trap, etc.) they were escorted into Treville's study. Towering bookcases ran along the length of the wall, filled with more books than Athos cared to count. A large wooden desk was placed in the middle of the room, filled with papers and even more books. There was no window, but plenty of lamps to provide light.

Treville sat down behind his desk and the three men arranged themselves in front of it. He riffled through a stack of papers and pulled out a thick folder.

'How did the hunt go?'

'Piece of cake,' Aramis bragged. 'We wiped out that nest in no time.'

Treville rolled his eyes and looked towards Athos, who launched into a military style report. When he finished, Treville nodded and crossed something off in his folder.

'Alright, good job. I don't have a hunt right now, but there is something I'd like you to look into. Last week, I send Cornet to Chartres, because there was a werewolf and as you know, he specialises in that. He checked in as soon as he got there but I haven't heard from him since. I'm afraid he's gone missing.'

Porthos frowned.

'Cornet is a good hunter. If he has gone missing, there must be a reason. We'll look into it.'

'Thank you.'

Porthos and Aramis went into the living room but Athos stayed behind.

'I wanted to ask you something. Last night, someone broke into our motel room and tried to kill me. Porthos and Aramis prevented him from pulling the trigger.'

'Did you manage to catch him?'

'We cornered him but he jumped off the platform. He landed on a car and took off before we could get to him. I have reason to believe that it was a hunter.'

Treville looked at him in surprise.

'What makes you think that?'

'I had time to study him, because he hesitated to shoot me. And he only wanted to kill me, not Porthos or Aramis. He knew how to handle a gun and managed to escape after jumping from the top floor of our motel. I don't see many civilians do that.'

'He could have been a criminal.'

'But then why only target me? And why not take anything from our room?'

'Alright, let's say it was a hunter. What do you want me to do?'

'You know every hunter in France. Perhaps you know who it is and why he has it out for me.'

'I'll look into it. But I haven't heard of any hunter gone rogue.'

* * *

Chartres was a dead end, as they quickly found out. They visited the motel Cornet had stayed in, but all they got was that the man had checked out two days after arriving. There were no other trails to follow, so after checking in at another motel, Athos called Treville.

'We got a dead end. According to the motel, Cornet left two days after he got here. Trail ends there. It looks like he did manage to get rid of the werewolf, so I assume he wasn't killed in action.'

'Thank you, Athos. I'll check with others to see if they've heard anything from him. Meanwhile, I'd like you to do something else for me.'

'Which is?'

'Certain signs have been popping up. They're worrying and I need to talk to someone who specialises in it. Problem is, I only know one hunter that does.'

'And you want us to find him?'

'Exactly. But only if you're up for it. It's very hard to track him, since he keeps moving around. The last I heard, he was in Gascony.'

'Let me talk to Aramis and Porthos. I'll call you back in five minutes.'

His friends looked at him quizzically and Athos sighed.

'Treville needs us to go Gascony, look for a certain hunter, who's apparently very hard to track.'

'Any reason as to why?'

'There's something going on that Treville is worried about. The hunter we need to track down is apparently more knowledgeable on it then anyone else.'

Aramis clapped his hands.

'Well then, any specifics? Gascony is a big area and I don't want to spend weeks there, looking for one man.'

Porthos frowned.

'Aramis is right. Let's say we drive to Bordeaux, that's at least 5 hours, not accounting for traffic jams and stops.'

'I'll call Treville back and ask for the details. You two start packing.'

Turning his back to his friends, and tuning out their bickering, he pulled out his phone and called Treville back. The man picked up at the second ring.

'We'll do it,' Athos said. 'Just give us some more details. Any name, a specific place in Gascony?'

'The man's name is Alexandre de Castlemore. As for a place, I do not know for certain. But I suggest you start in Lupiac.'

* * *

They had just passed Poitiers when Athos' phone rang. He checked the caller ID and put it on speaker, while indicating for Porthos to keep driving.

'You're on speaker. What is it, sir?'

'When you were in Chartres, did you give anyone your name?'

'No, of course not. Why do you ask?'

'A warrant for your arrest has just gone out. You are being accused of murdering several people.'

'All three of us?' Aramis asked.

'No, just Athos. Avoid being spotted at all costs. Keep your head down and fly below the radar.'

'Do you still need us to find Alexandre de Castlemore?'

'Yes, especially now. Just let Porthos and Aramis do the talking to people.'

'Anything on the man who tried to kill Athos?' Porthos asked.

'I'm sorry, but no. If it is indeed a hunter, he has to be a foreign one.'

'Highly doubt it, sir,' Aramis said. 'He spoke fluent French, no accent.'

'No foreign accent,' Athos corrected. 'Are you sure it cannot be a hunter gone rogue?'

'Absolutely positive. I have to go, contact me when you have a trail on Alexandre.'

Silence filled the car for a while. It lasted up until Porthos exited the highway and drove into Niort, where they had a small break and switched drivers. Athos had just turned up the road again when Aramis decided to break the silence.

'Do you think that you being accused of murder has something to do with the guy that tried to kill you?'

'I don't see the pattern,' Athos answered.

'Well, it might explain his motive,' Porthos said. 'Think about it. What if instead of a criminal, it's someone who wants revenge on Athos. Perhaps someone killed a person he loved in your name.'

* * *

Lupiac was really nothing special. Aramis, for the live of him, couldn't understand why a person would choose to live in a such a small town. Then again, maybe that was just him. He'd lived in big cities his whole life. He loved the crowds, the noises and all the different shops.

Aramis was pulled out of his thoughts when Porthos joined Athos and him in the car again. He held a map in his hand.

'Got this from the only guy I could understand. He marked the route to go to Alexandre's farm.'

Athos did not enjoy the drive towards it. The narrow gravel road was lined with trees, which gave him a slight claustrophobic feeling. It was a relief when they arrived at the farm. He counted six buildings and five plots of land.

As they got out, they were approached by a man in his early thirties. He held out his hand, which Athos shook.

'Hello, what can I do for you?'

'We're looking for Alexandre de Castlemore. Someone told us this is his farm.'

The man frowned.

'Alexandre de Castlemore hasn't been here in ages. My name is Matthieu, I'm his son. Why don't you come inside with me for a second, maybe I can help you.'

The three exchanged a look and then they followed Matthieu into one of the larger buildings, which turned out to be a house. He led them into the living room and offered them a glass of juice. When they were all seated and holding a glass of juice, Matthieu returned to their question.

'What exactly do you need from my father?'

Athos cast about for a reason. He wasn't sure whether Alexandre had raised his son with knowledge of the supernatural. A lot of commotion from outside interrupted his thoughts. Matthieu got up, peered out the window and sighed.

'Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen. I need to take care of something.'

After he was gone, Porthos got up and walked over to the window.

'Porthos,' Athos said pointedly.

'I'm just checking if everything's alright. What if it's the police? We'll have to make a quick break for it then.'

The noise got closer to the house.

'Our host is arguing with someone, I can't see who. Oh, he's coming back now.'

The front door slammed open and footsteps could be heard thundering up the stairs. A second later, the door was closed again.

'Get back here, Charlie! I'm not done with you.'

'Fuck off! You're not my father!'

'If you're not downstairs in 30 minutes, I'm dismantling your bike!'

The footsteps disappeared and Matthieu returned to the living room.

'I apologize for that. Now, what did you want to know about my father?'

Aramis smiled charmingly at the man.

'If you could just tell us where he went, that would help a lot.'

Matthieu opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. He frowned slightly.

'What is it that you want from my father? How did you know him?'

'We share a mutual friend.'

'Oh, so this is about his work in the US. I'm very sorry gentlemen, but I'm afraid I don't know much about what he did there.'

Athos, Porthos and Aramis shared a look. Treville hadn't mentioned anything about Alexandre being in the United States.

'I can get Charlie downstairs though.' Matthieu continued. 'He is much more knowledgeable about our father than I am.'

Before they could respond, the man had already disappeared into the hallway. After a few seconds of shouting, they could hear him stomping up the stairs.

'Please tell me I'm not the only one who is confused,' Porthos said.

'Either our host is lying, or Alexandre has some skeletons in his closet. I don't get the feeling Matthieu knows his father that well.'

'I think Alexandre didn't raise his son into the hunting life. No Christo's, no silver knife and no holy water.'

Aramis was about to answer, but never did, due to shouting coming from upstairs. While Athos was not fond of eavesdropping, Porthos and Aramis had no such qualms and strained their ears to listen. That soon became unnecessary, since the door to the hallway was opened and Matthieu reappeared, a seething young man behind him.

'My apologies for taking so long. This is my younger brother, Charlie. He lived with our father in the US, so I think he might be able to help you out.'

The moment they got a good look at Charlie, all three of them tensed. Aramis' hand inched towards his hidden gun. The younger man was faster though, and already had his gun aimed at Athos.

* * *

While he faced the gun, multiple thoughts flew through Athos' head. First and foremost was the fact that he was about to be killed by a goddamn kid. The second thought was that he had been right, his would be assassin was definitely a hunter. Third, he had to fix this mess.

'I would advise you to think this through before you pull the trigger. If you kill me, there are multiple witnesses and you will most definitely go to jail. Are you sure you're ready for that?'

'I don't care what happens to me after you die. You killed my father.'

The boy's voice was cold and controlled, yet Athos could detect the anguish, anger, and above all, fear. The boy was scared for some reason. That was dangerous. It made the situation unpredictable. If he wanted to survive, Athos had to tread carefully. He motioned for Porthos and Aramis to stand down, which they did reluctantly.

'Charlie, put the gun down! Have you lost your goddamn mind?!'

'Stay out of this, Matthieu,' the boy growled. 'It's none of your business.'

The man ignored him and stalked forward. The moment Charlie realised this, he turned around and aimed the gun at the older man.

'I said stay out of it!'

'What the hell are you gonna do, shoot me?!'

'Don't think I won't. You have given me enough reason this month alone.'

The moment the boy was distracted, Athos whipped out his own gun and aimed it at the boy. He motioned for Porthos and Aramis to get ready for a fight. They positioned themselves near Charlie, ready to take out the boy at Athos' signal.

'You are not going to shoot him. In fact, you are going to give me your gun and calm down. If not, I will be forced to take you down.'

Charlie turned back to him, his eyes widening ever so slightly at the sight of a gun pointed at him.

'What is it to you if I shoot my brother? You murdered my father.'

'I can assure you that I have done no such thing. In fact, prior to yesterday, I had never even heard of Alexandre de Castlemore.'

'Liar!'

Athos nodded and flexed his hand slightly, thus giving Porthos and Aramis the signal they were waiting for. Aramis dove for the gun, while Porthos hit the boy over the head, sending him crashing to the floor.

Aramis emptied the gun, but before he could hand it over to Athos, Charlie came back up swinging. He threw Porthos into the wall and brought his fist down hard on Aramis' wrist. The older man dropped the gun, which Charlie was quick to pick up and aim at Athos. He released the trigger, but no bullet came out.

Enraged, Charlie threw himself at Athos. Athos dropped his gun and engaged the boy in hand to hand. It quickly became clear that while the boy was a talented fighter, he allowed his emotions to take control, causing him to become sloppy. After a few minutes, Athos saw an opening and kicked the boy's side, hard. The boy went down with a cry and this time, he stayed down, clutching his side.

Silence reigned the room for a few minutes. Then Aramis turned towards a shocked Matthieu, charm oozing off him.

'Now, I understand how this must look. But believe me when I say this is all a simple misunderstanding.'

Matthieu raised his hand, cutting Aramis off.

'I need to know first, will you be pressing charges?'

'No, we won't,' Athos assured him.

'Good. Nonetheless, my apologies. Charlie has been obsessing about revenge ever since our father died. I don't know he got it into his head that you are the killer, though. He ran away about a week or so, I presume he came after you then too?'

Athos nodded. Matthieu sighed and glared at his brother, who was still on the floor, breathing heavily.

'I promise that he will receive punishment for this.'

A voice in the back of Athos' head warned him that something was off about the way Matthieu acted.

'Actually, I'd like to talk to you about something. My friend, Aramis, has medic experience. He can take Charlie to the kitchen and check him over, while you and I talk.'

Matthieu agreed to this and a few minutes later, they were the only ones in the living room.

'Not that it's any of my business, but how long has Charlie been living with you?'

'Our father died about a year ago, while he was in the United States. They send Charlie to live with me, since I'm the only family he has left. To be honest, it has not been easy. My brother is obviously troubled and I have a family of my own that I need to think of.'

'I understand. And I think I can help you. The mutual friend I share with your father, he specializes in helping troubled people like Charlie. My friends and I can bring your brother to him, make sure he's taken care of. It'll be for free.'


End file.
